


You're a pretentious ass but I guess I can learn to like you

by infiniteleecity



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-25 23:42:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17734901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infiniteleecity/pseuds/infiniteleecity
Summary: Jeno was impulsive and persistent with getting what he wanted to have. He especially made bad choices when it came to idol singer Huang Renjun. Not only did he buy out a whole music store for one day just so he can get all of Renjun's photocards in their latest album but he also drunk called Renjun's agency asking for a collaboration. The worst thing is, they agreed but Jeno doesn't remember asking.





	You're a pretentious ass but I guess I can learn to like you

 

The ringing in Jeno's ears doesn't stop. To add to that he had a terrible migraine, and it doesn't help that his phone had been ringing for the past few minutes somewhere in the room.

"Ah! My head hurts." Jeno complained.

He heard a thud and felt the couch beside him dip down.

"That's what you get for drinking all night." Jeno guardian, Ten, said. Jeno would have loved hearing Ten's voice again since it's been a while since they say each other but with his migraine, even Ten's voice became too much of a noise.

"Drink this." Ten added shoving a glass of water in Jeno's hand. Jeno scoffed. "When I promised to be yours and Jaemin's guardian, doesn't mean I'd have to take care of you when you get drunk." Ten complained.

Jeno doesn’t even know why he's in Ten's house anyways. If he went out drinking, probably with Mark since he's his only friend anyways, the most rational thing was for Mark to send him to his house. Jeno doubts Mark even knows Ten's address.

"What am I doing here anyways?" Ten looked at him curiously before eventually realizing that Jeno might have drank a lot if he really didn't remember the events of the last night. _This would be bad._ Ten thought, thinking about Jaehyun, Jeno's manager and how he'd react.

"You told the cab driver my address instead of yours. I woke up to Mark singing Queen outside of my apartment." Ten said shaking his head as if the memory was a pain to remember. Jeno smiled, hearing that his consciousness conjured Ten's address and not his when he was drunk. Jaemin did say that Jeno tended to associate himself with people he loved and whatever involved them when he was drunk. The second thought after that was that Mark Lee came with him to Ten's house but is nowhere to be found.

"Mark was here too?" Jeno asked. Ten nodded and said that Johnny had picked him up after Ten had insisted because Mark couldn't stop singing.

They were silent for a while, Ten fixing his things while Jeno nursed his headache. His phone ringing cut through the silence and it made Jeno whine because that noise was really something he didn't want to hear today.

He refused to pick it up, and since Ten believed in utmost privacy he didn't pick it up either. He walked to the table though to see who's it from.

"It's Jaehyun!" Ten clarified. Jeno just whined again. "I know." Sighing, he stood up and picked up his phone, answering the call and resting his phone between his head and his shoulders lazily.

" _Lee Jeno! What the hell did you do?"_ Jeno had to remove his phone from his ear as his manager started shouting at the other end of the phone call. He could feel Jaehyun's anger even with just hearing his voice and it made Jeno wonder what he really did.

He had did a lot of things to anger his management, but this time, he really had no clue at whatever Jaehyun is talking about.

"Hyung! What do you mean? What did I do?" Hearing this, Ten evacuated from the scene as if telling himself that he shouldn't be hearing this or that Ten knew what was going on and he didn't want to be further involved. Jeno eyed his guardian curiously, but Ten just shrugged feigning ignorance.

"Turn on the damn tv and maybe you'll find out. I'm picking you up in an hour and you better be ready. We have a lot to talk about." Jaehyun warned before dropping the call. Jeno snickered and then shook his head, throwing his phone on the other side of the sofa not wanting to look at it for a while.

Whatever issue he caused again, big enough to get himself on tv _again,_ was enough reason for him to stay away from his phone and social media for a while.

He looked for the remote and carefully turned on the tv.

The headlines revealed his face again, then a montage of his red carpet videos and his music videos he shot. Below it was the caption, " _Lee Jeno reportedly calling NCT Entertainment for a collaboration with The 7th Sense's Main Vocalist, Huang Renjun."_

It took a while for Jeno to process what the news was saying.

He snickered and tried to fake a laugh but he was hella nervous. First of all, he knew those rumors were false. One reason was because he doesn't even have NCT Entertainment contact information and second, he wasn't that confident to even collab, let alone face Huang Renjun.

The throbbing in his head made Jeno remember something.

That he'd been drunk the night before and this was something drunk Jeno would've done.

"Ah! Lee Jeno what did you do?" He whispered to himself hoping whatever he did, it can quickly be resolved.

"Does Jaemin know?" Jeno asked suddenly remembering his step-brother. Jaemin had always been a big fan of The 7th Sense and not really a big fan of Jeno, and hearing this collaboration might throw Jaemin off guard, and it would definitely make him angry.

"He's at the academy right now. I don't think he'll hear until his classes are over." Ten answered, preparing the kitchen to make Jeno some lunch though it was pass lunch time already.

"Do you think he'll be mad?" Jeno asked.

Ten shrugged.

"You know him better, Jen." Ten just answered.

 Jeno sighed. Because knowing his brother, Jaemin will be mad.

* * *

 

To say that Jaemin was mad was an understatement. Jeno could hear his brother's screams even just from the first floor complaining as to why Jeno did it. He just got back from his meeting with his management and it didn't end up the way he wanted to. They had confirmed Jeno had called NCT Entertainment when the latter had sent them a recording of their phone conversation. Though he sounded sober, the way he phrased his sentences was also an indication that Jeno was drunk. He was surprised that NCT Ent. even agreed and not called the police on him.

Jeno asked to put the whole thing behind them since it was an accident but instead his management pushed through with it saying that this would make be great for Jeno's career, especially with his recent fiascos with the media. Something Jeno doesn't like talking about again.

"Lee Jeno! What the hell did you do?" Jaemin shouted; his shout echoing throughout the house. Jeno did the first thing he can do which was hide behind Ten who was busy preparing dinner.

"Ya! Don't get me in between this mess." But Jeno didn't let go and held onto Ten.

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should have done it." Jaemin was ready to throw his bag at Jeno but Ten stopped him saying he was cooking and that Jaemin shouldn't try to do anything dumb. He settled for snickering at his brother and throwing him death glares. Besides, Jaemin knew they wouldn't be able to stop it. He was Lee Jeno after all. A collaboration would be wanted by anyone. But out of all people, Jeno really had to call the company of his favourite group.

After Ten knew that Jaemin had calmed down is when he called him for dinner. Even then, Jeno still stuck close to Ten.

"I won't fight you anymore." Jaemin said seeing Jeno, but Jeno was still cautious.

"I can hear a favor coming." Jeno said.

Jaemin smiled mischievously. That smile made them know that he indeed had a favor to ask.

"Bring me with you." Jaemin said. Ten and Jeno looked at him as if he lost it.

"To Korea?" Jeno asked.

"Where else?" Jaemin answered.

"You have academy, Jaemin." Ten said serving them their food.

"I can always retake my classes." Jaemin answered.

"Ya! You think academy is cheap?" Jeno said.

"I have a rich brother to pay for me." Jaemin said nonchalantly.

Jeno sighed.

"Come on. It's the best you can do after you contacted the entertainment agency of my favorite group just so you can have a collaboration with you’re the guy you'd been crushing on. And of course, your management will use this opportunity to boost you up again after you were caught attacking a paparazzi when you were mad that one of your projects fell through."

_Jeno didn't like talking about that incident._ He made the wrong choices when he's either drunk or mad. When he's drunk he'd usually be extra clingy to the people he likes, calling them in the wee hours of the day asking for something but when he's mad, he had no control of his emotions and destroyed anything.

After that incident, he hadn't had any calls for future projects and with NCT Ent. agreeing to his offer, his management thought it was a good way to bury all his wrong doings.

"Fine!" Jeno agreed making both Ten and Jaemin surprised.

"Jen.." Ten was careful to ask what he was really planning.

"It's fine. He's right. I have enough money to take care of the academy anyways. He can come." Jeno settled. "You should come too, you need a vacation." Jeno added. Ten was ready to refuse but both Jeno and Jaemin looked excited at the prospect that he couldn't let go of the idea.

So instead, he agreed though he couldn't shake of the feeling that all this would just become a huge mess.

* * *

_"Are you kidding me?"_ Renjun's annoyance was obvious in his voice as he read the news that Lee Jeno wanted to collaborate with him and that his agency agreed. His members, who were around him that time looked at him and asked what he was reading.

Annoyed and repulsed, he passed his phone and all of them went on and checked.

Rather than being pissed, like how Renjun reacted, they all seemed excited at the prospect of the collaboration. Some of them, namely Haechan and Lucas even started teasing him as to why Jeno would call the company personally just to collaborate.

"Wah! Lee Jeno asked to collaborate with you?" Chenle, their maknae said, still in shock. Renjun shook his head and scowled at them, asking what's so great about Lee Jeno anyways.

Everyone stared at him in shock as if he said something controversial. The look on their faces made him think that he did.

"Lee Jeno is literally every Korean stars' role model. He's a Korean that debuted in the U.S. and made a name for himself. He's what everyone dreams to be." Chenle said admiringly.

Renjun laughed, finding it extremely humorous.

"So everyone dreams of being a pretentious rock star that probably only became a celebrity because it came with a big chunk of money? Yeah, I don't think so." Renjun said.

Yuta, another member, shook his head. "You're so cold to Jeno. How are you going to collaborate with that attitude?" Yuta asked.

Renjun didn't want to collaborate. This collaboration wasn't his idea anyways but it was the Lee Jeno himself that asked, and the fact that his company didn't say no to him at all meant they were considering the offer.

Looking uncomfortable, Taeyong, their leader, made them practice the new choreography again just to switch the topic to something else.

Eventually, the topic about Lee Jeno quickly left their minds until they were all about to go home.

"You know you can tell the management you don't want to if you don't want to do the collaboration? I'm betting they're just going to send one of us to save face to Lee Jeno. Besides, everyone seems to be excited to collaborate with Jeno." Taeyong said. Renjun sighed and shook his head. "He specifically asked for me. It'll look bad for the company if I say no." Taeyong wanted to say that Renjun didn't owe the company anything but knowing Renjun, he know nothing will sway his teammate. He prepared himself though. As the leader he was responsible to protect his members from whatever mess they're going to be in and this was going to be a mess.

* * *

_And a mess it did become._

Jeno arrived in Korea, his brother, his manager and Ten walking after him. Mark Lee, his best friend, also came with him since he coincidentally had schedules in Korea as well with his manager, Seo Johnny, tailing after him.

The fiasco at the airport had started when he walked out. His fans, and The 7th Sense's fans were arguing outside the airport and him walking out didn't minimize the situation at all. They had started throwing things at the staff but Jeno's fans would try to intercept and stand in the way just so that neither Jeno or any of his companions would be hurt.

It took around a whole thirty minutes and almost all of the airport's guards to control the situation both inside and outside the airport.

"I know you were popular but not this popular." Jaemin said as they got into the car.

"Is this how it has always been?" Ten asked suddenly concerned for the well-being of Jeno.

"Fans tend to be….." Jaehyun started then stopped trying to think of a word that would best express the situation, "…extreme." He settled.

Jeno just sighed and closed his eyes. Mark eyed him and shook his head.

"You haven't even worked with Renjun yet. How would it be like when you actually start working?"

It didn't become better, to say the least.

Jeno wanted to make a good impression because they only had a month to record and film this collaboration but whatever he did, Renjun didn't seem interested.

They had met at Renjun's company, their CEO happy to take them in but fans had barricaded the entrance of the company making it harder to get in. Jeno was appalled that Renjun just stood at the entrance, arms crossed watching the mess unfold before him as if he was the one that ordered it. Jeno wouldn't be so surprised if he did. Renjun was a little snobbish but Jeno knew from following him ever since he debuted that he was actually very nice so it didn't take him long that maybe that problem was him. _But what did I do?_ Jeno thought to himself.

Renjun had promised Taeyong he'd be professional, but just seeing Jeno made him very annoyed. He didn't know why he was forced to interact with someone so proud. He didn't like Jeno. Jeno held everything he hated in someone. He was bratty, proud, and spent his money as if it flowed naturally in his bank account. Though Renjun thought that maybe it did.

Lee Jeno had always been a success story in the eastern countries. He had broken all the barriers there was needed to break and made a name for himself in the western market. The star everyone adored.

Everyone but Renjun that is.

_"Give him a chance, Jun! You might end up liking him."_ Yuta had told him before he set forth to this meeting. He doubted it though.

Renjun needed to stay professional. He had one month and he will never see Jeno again. _He can do that, right?_

* * *

Making Renjun like him was harder that Jeno thought. Despite that, he was willing to try, even if he had to strip of his bad boy image. He had bought Renjun and his whole staff coffee the first time they met for recording, and proceeded to give them food the next days. Instead of being impressed, this somehow cause Renjun to even get more annoyed at Jeno and Renjun was forward when he was annoyed. He'd roll his eyes at Jeno and snicker.

Even so, Jeno couldn't help but fall deeper for the guy that didn't seem interested.

Yes, Jeno had always had a crush on Renjun when he first got to know him through Jaemin's multiple updates about the group, but he admired him for being the only one who actually out rightly told him he hated him. Jeno shook his head and asked himself what was wrong with himself.

Even his friends thought he was crazy.

"Are you telling me you still like him even though he blatantly ignores and insult you?" Jaehyun asked as they were at Jeno's hotel suite eating some take-out pizza.

"Wah! Lee Jeno is indeed great." Mark commented.

"Why is it so surprising? Ten hyung hated you too before you got together." Jaehyun blushed at Jeno's statement and just continued eating pizza.

Ten shook his head at Jaehyun then looked at Jeno seriously. "If he makes you uncomfortable you better quit. I don't want you in the receiving end of hate comments, especially with his fans." Ten said worried.

The media attention the collaboration got was big. Not only was everyone either side Jeno or side Renjun, a lot of them fought with each other as well. Lee Jeno and Huang Renjun had been top of search bars for the whole week.

A whole lot of them had planned to boycott this collaboration when it came out, something Jeno doesn't want happening because it could affect Renjun's career as well. Whenever he thought about it, he'd sigh in disappointment. _What did he really get both of them into?_

* * *

One day, at the recording studio, Jeno decided to confront Renjun.

They were left together alone while the staff had an emergency meeting. Even though Renjun hated him, he didn't want to be the weaker man by leaving the room and Jeno didn't seem like he'll leave also so they settled for mutual silence and not talking to each other.

But Jeno decided it was time.

He needed to apologize for whatever he did --- though he knew in himself he really didn't have anything to apologize for, he knew he should since Renjun wouldn't be this mad if he hadn't done anything.

"What did I ever do to you?" It took all the confidence he had built inside his body to utter those words. He felt exhausted like channeling the confidence was enough to tire him out. But he kept his voice steady so that Renjun wouldn't think he's nervous.

Caught off guard, Renjun answered him with a "what?" in a very non-angry way. Something that surprised Jeno because he didn't think Renjun could talk to him normally. A progress, Jeno liked to think.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Jeno clarified. Renjun sighed, the sigh that says he wanted never to talk about this conversation. Jeno knew that sigh too well. He made a lot of those throughout his lifetime as a celebrity.

"It's because you're Lee Jeno!" Jeno really didn't have anything to answer to that. He did a lot of stuff to cause hate upon himself and Jeno really wouldn't put it past Renjun for thinking that way.

"I really want to make this work. This collaboration and I hope we can do it comfortably, but can you promise to give me a chance to prove that I'm not really that bad?" Jeno asked.

Renjun feigned not to hear but he was listening. He spun around his chair wondering if he should give Jeno a chance. He was hoping not to since it'll be easier to move on from all this once the month was done but Renjun felt bad, especially since Jeno sounded really sincere.

"Okay! I'll give you a month. But if I still don't like you by the end of this collaboration then you have no choice but to accept it." Renjun said. He completely ignored Jeno once the staff came back but to Jeno, Renjun's answer was already satisfactory.

* * *

So Jeno tried to be kinder to at least show Renjun the side he was never allowed to show: the real Jeno. Renjun, on the other hand, was more open to his advances and though he won't admit it, being kinder to Jeno made him more comfortable.

There were more smiles this time, less sighs and everyone around them were suddenly much more excited about the collaboration than they first were.

"Renjun seems less angry at you, what did you do?" Jaehyun asked one day as they were preparing to shoot the music video.

"He had always been nice." Jaemin butted in, thinking he needed to.

"We talked" was the only explanation Jeno gave.

They had worked together for the next couple of days with this new dynamic. Things progressed faster, and they even were able to record another song though the plan was only one. But Jeno insisted, and Renjun didn't refuse.

They spend more days together, getting to know each other and getting used to each other's presence.

Both were scared that once the month was over and they'd have to part ways that they'll miss each other.

And maybe they would, so they made each day memorable for both of them. Something to look back on. 

Eventually days became weeks and little did they notice, the month was almost over, and Jeno had to go.

It was free day and Jeno, in his hotel suite, was lying down on his bed wondering if he should text Renjun. He wanted to spend time with him outside the workplace and he was fairly confident that Renjun would say yes.

"Just go ahead and ask him. You've been typing and deleting your messages since early this morning and it's getting annoying." Jaemin answered from the other side of the bed. Jaemin would never have noticed if Jeno just silenced his phone but Jeno likes the sound of his keyboard clicking when he typed and he never turned it off.

"If you won't do it, I'll do it for you. It's not like you're the only one with Renjun's number." Being threatened like this, Jeno sighed and texted Renjun a quick, "Wanna go out?"

It didn't take long before answered with a yes, phrased in order to not seem too excited.

"Where are you going?" Jeno was asked as he started walking out of his room. He looked around to see Jaehyun and Ten eyeing him from the kitchen.

"Going to meet Renjun." Jeno said. There was no point in lying. Jaehyun and Ten exchanged a knowing glance before Jaehyun threw Jeno his car keys.

"Don't get caught." Jeno nodded. He didn't want to promise anything because they were both big names, and known faces. One foot outside would already make them attract the cameras, both from paparazzi and common people.

He had no doubt that they'll get caught but Jeno was fine with it. Besides, they were doing a project together. Going out together won't stir up anything, right?

 

_Jeno could never have been more wrong._

 

The minute they saw each other and Renjun got into his car, the news and the pictures had found themselves online and it had quickly spread all over social media. An hour into the "date", Jaehyun had already started calling Jeno and scolding him for not listening to him again.

Jeno panicked. This was supposed to be a happy get-together, just two of them together but Jeno ruined it. Despite that, Renjun stayed calm.

"I know a place we can go. No one would follow us believe me." Renjun said. And so with a lot of going around the city to lose the cars that were following them, Renjun finally came upon an old house,

"Why do you know this place?" Jeno asked. It looked clean but definitely needed rebuilding, and it was small. The part of  the town was also a place Jeno never thought Renjun would know.

"We all have small beginnings that's why we stay humble even though we make it big. When I first came to Korea, the family who lived here took me in. Once I became famous, I bought them a house in the city and bought off this house because I didn't want others to take it. It's special to me." Renjun explained.

"You probably wouldn't understand, since you grew up rich." _A lie._ His management had fed the lie to the media that he grew up rich and the reason why no one knew about his family was because he liked to make it private.

"Nobody knows I grew up in an orphanage." Jeno started. He knew his management would kill him but he wanted to tell Renjun. He trusted Renjun enough though it was foolish but he believed no one would ever tell.

Renjun looked at him surprised. Everyone knows that Jeno was rich. The fact that no one else said anything about means that his management really did a lot of things to hide it.

"I grew up with Jaemin in an orphanage." Jeno said.

Once he started talking, Jeno didn't stop. Jeno told him about the orphanage, how him and Jaemin had never been adopted because Jeno's temper and Jaemin's shy personality would evade them. They promised to be adopted together and though Jeno knew Jaemin would've been picked, the promised made Jaemin stay. It was Ten who adopted them once he was of age and had left the orphanage as well.

Jeno told Renjun everything. How he dropped out of school so that Jaemin can go to the art academy he wanted and he, instead, worked a dozen of part time jobs just to get Jaemin the money he needed to pay tuition.

Jeno told him how he was scouted. His pretty face was enough for a talent agency to take him in, and he was fast on his feet and fast with his words. They wanted to make him the success story he was supposed to be. An orphan that made it big but the western scene already had too many of those stories so instead his management had fed the lie that he was born rich, grew up rich and was just becoming richer.

It didn't take long before articles of him paying his way in made the news. Anti-fans criticized him, but he held strong. He was doing this for Jaemin. He was doing it for Jaemin to achieve his dreams. At least one of them should be able to reach their dreams. Jeno was satisfied with that.

Eventually the stories became too raw that Jeno had broken down and Renjun was quick on his feet to envelope him as he cried the pain and the hurt out.

When Jeno calmed down, they talked about more happy things.

Renjun had talked about his family, funny scenarios that happened within his members, memorable fan encounters. Anything to make Jeno smile again.

The day became night, and words became kisses with much laughing and smiling in between. They were drunk of each other and didn’t want to let go.

The night grew deeper and they stayed in each other's arms not wanting to let go.

"You're leaving soon." Renjun had said.

He had only just became comfortable but then Jeno had to leave. Renjun wondered how he'd par with his absence.

"I'll come back, if you want me to." Jeno said. Renjun stayed quiet before shaking his head.

"I want you to stay." Renjun said. "Make a name for yourself here. I want  to be beside you." Renjun said. It sound clingy and overly desperate but that's how Renjun felt. He didn't want Jeno to leave. Because leaving now means Renjun has to adapt to a heart that yearned to be love but only from a man miles away.

Jeno took a deep breath, slowly breathing out.

It wasn't impossible if he asked but it wouldn't be easy as well.

And like Renjun, he wanted to stay.

With one last kiss on Renjun's forehead, and Renjun slowly falling asleep, Jeno whispered, "I'll stay with you. I promise."


End file.
